Pharmacies urged to ban alternative medicine

Pharmacies are being urged to ban homeopathic products, and not sell alternative medicines without clinical evidence.

The move on complementary therapies and homeopathic products comes amid concerns Australians may be wasting money on products not shown to work.

Pharmacies are being urged to ban homeopathic products, and not sell complementary therapies and alternative medicines without clinical evidence.

The Pharmaceutical Society of Australia will make the recommendations today as it joins the Choosing Wisely initiative, in which health professions lead efforts to reduce unnecessary and potentially unsafe healthcare.

The move on complementary therapies and homeopathic products comes amid concerns Australians may be wasting money on products not shown to work, and which may potentially interfere with accepted treatment options.

While so-called alternative therapies are also available in ­supermarkets, health food outlets and other stores, PSA vice-president Chris Freeman yester­day said it was important that pharmacists help people make evidence-based decisions.

In its recommendations, the PSA emphasises that there is no reliable evidence to support the use of homeopathic products to treat or prevent ailments, while the evidence around complementary medicines is limited and may be dependent on formulation and dose. “Pharmacists and medical practitioners should present clear information to consumers about the safety of, and evidence for, complementary and alternative medicines and only recommend these products when the known benefit outweighs the ­potential harm,” Dr Freeman said.

Health Minister Greg Hunt this year declined to tighten pharmacy regulation in response to such concerns, despite a government review declaring the need for intervention.

The review recommended complementary medicines be sold in a separate area of pharmacies, where consumers can be given more advice, and homeopathic products not be sold anywhere that Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme medicines are dispensed.

The PSA also recommends pharmacies question repeat scripts for antibiotics rather than contribute to bacterial resistance, review cases where people are on five or more medications, and take precautions when dispensing benzodiazepines, other sedative hypnotics and anti­psychotics in older people.